Life 45 (Jan 23 - Aug 23)

[winston]

What is it that we must cultivate in this journey of life, and what helps us progress?

You should cultivate an attitude of inseparable attachment to the Divine, who is your very self.

If He is a flower, you should feel yourself a bee that sucks its honey; if He is a tree, be a creeper that clings to it; if a cliff, then feel that you are a cascade running over it; if He is the sky, be a tiny star that twinkles in it; above all, be conscious of the truth that you and He are bound by Supreme Love.

If you feel this acutely, not with the gross intelligence, but with the subtle intelligence, then the journey will be quick and the goal can be won.

The sthula buddhi (gross intelligence) keeps you walking but the subtle intelligence flies you to the destination.

The gross is too much weighed down by the body; the subtle transcends the body and lightens the burden!

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

To the extent you yearn and pine for Him, He will pine for you a thousandfold.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the most important recognition that will keep us vigilant, as we spend our days in this world?

Even to place one foot forward, man needs an inner urge, a purpose, a prompting. His will is moved by his wish. Therefore, man must endeavour to wish for higher and holier goals.

His mind is a bundle of wishes. Turned hither and thither, by the dictates of each wish, man wastes the time allotted to him and the skills he is endowed with. He slaves his conscience believing that he is acting right.

But, man has to recognise the preciousness of time. Not even a fraction of a second should be wasted. He must be engaged always in the investigation of his own Truth and his own duty to himself.

Life is dripping away, drop by drop, from the leaking pot! Time hangs over every head like a sharp sword, ready to inflict the mortal slash. But, man pays no attention to this ever-present calamity!

- Divine Discourse, Apr 13, 1981.

Don't waste time; if you waste time you will be wasting your life.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How should we choose our friends?

When you have high status and good position in society, everyone will run after you, saying, hello, hello!

But when you lose your position and fall on bad days, everyone will run away from you. This is not true friendship.

What is true friendship? A true friend is one who will follow you like a shadow in times of both pleasure and pain, profit and loss.

When the tank is full of water, thousands of frogs will come into it. But when the tank becomes dry, not even a single frog will be seen there.

Similarly, when you have a good position and high rank, everyone will follow you. But you will find none in your times of difficulty. Such friendship is not true friendship.

Don’t make friends with everybody who says hello, hello to you. This is a great mistake.

You should know the background, habits, behaviour, discipline, and other qualities of the person with whom you want to make friends.

You should also try to know with whom they associate and what type of company they keep.

- Divine Discourse, Jul 08, 1996.

Taking the Divine as your friend, your heart as the teacher, and the world as the Great Book, acquire all the knowledge you wish to.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What should we do to make our homes as beacons of true freedom?

Rivers must reach the sea, not desert sands; waters must merge with water. That’s the consummation. To keep that goal ever in focus, have the wavering mind continuously on leash.

When the Sun is in the sky, Moon is blazed out of sight. Buddhi, the sharpened intellect, is the Sun; the pale satellite, the waxing and waning Moon is the Mind. So, give intelligence full prominence; let the mind subserve dictates of reason, not of passion.

Become the ruler of senses, not their slave.

Senses drag you into the jungle of nature; so, what use is it for you to flee into the jungle, with the senses wild with hunger?

Why did sages go into jungles? To sink their minds in the silent calm of the forest; to dwell ever in the thought of the Divine whose voice is heard when all other voices cease.

If you close windows that bring in other voices, then, your home can be transformed into a Forest of Freedom, a Hermitage of Penance!

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

Detachment does not mean leaving wife and wealth and running away to the forest; it is sacrificing negative feelings, desires and delusions.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

We often claim we do not have the time to indulge in Sadhana (Spiritual Practice). What is the solution for that?

As a first step towards the acquisition of wisdom and detachment, enter from now on into a discipline of Namasmarana - the incessant remembrance of the Divine through His Name.

A fashionable excuse that is trotted out by those who do not like this discipline is 'want of time!' It does not need any special time or extra allotment of time; it can be done always, in the waking stage, whether you are bathing or eating, walking or sitting.

All the hours now spent in gossip, in watching sports or films or in hollow conversation, can best be used for silent contemplation of the Name and Form, and splendour of the Divine.

Now, you complain of want of appetite for Him. You have lost appetite because you have eaten unwholesome food not because you have had an excess of good food.

You have no knowledge of which food is wholesome, what are its components, etc. You believe that the unwholesome food you get, through the impure gateways of the senses, will keep you healthy! Learn this lesson from here and return, better equipped, to your places.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

Let each and every street reverberate with His Divine glory. Let each and every cell of your body be filled with His Divine Name.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the important quality to cultivate and hold on to, if we have to dispel the unrest in the world?

One may be a simpleton, without any intelligence or intellectual capabilities but if one has fear of sin, it is enough.

You may have any amount of wealth, gold and worldly possessions but if you lack fear of sin, you can only be considered as an ignoramus.

Once a Prince told his father, “Why do you kill innocent people just as you hunt wild animals in the forest? You are indulging in acts of violence in order to expand your kingdom. What do you gain by killing so many people? This is not what you are supposed to do. How can one, who has become a slave to inner enemies, conquer his external foes?

You have many great enemies within you. What are they? They are desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy. Having surrendered to these six inner enemies, you are killing innocents outside. It is a great sin.”

First and foremost, kill your inner enemies like desire, anger, greed, etc. Only then can you develop fear of sin.

What is the reason for the unrest prevailing in the country today? The reason is lack of fear of sin and love for the Divine.

- Divine Discourse, Jul 12, 1996.

You must watch for every chance and make the mind dwell on noble thoughts, do elevating tasks and curb the downward pull of the ego.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How should we use the supreme virtue of forgiveness?

Today, the situation in society is such that people try to misuse even the good actions of others. Even if you help them, they try to harm you.

No doubt, one should help even those that harm. But you must use your discrimination while helping others.

Think to what extent you can help such people. I have told this story earlier also.

When Mohammad attacked Raj, he was completely defeated by him. But Raj, being a large-hearted ruler, forgave him and let him go scot-free.

Later, Mohammad again attacked Raj and defeated him. Mohammad made Raj captive and blinded him. He did not have gratitude toward Raj, who had earlier allowed him to go back unharmed.

You should, therefore, be cautious in practising forgiveness while dealing with a cruel person. No doubt, forgiveness is a great virtue, but it will do more harm than good if it is practised with respect to an evil-minded person.

You should forgive such a person once or at most twice. Do not forgive him every time he harms you, otherwise you will be put to danger.

- Divine Discourse, Jul 12, 1996.

To cleanse the mind, prayer is the water and repentance is the soap. Repentance must be followed by resolute determination not to repeat the wrong.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it said that silence is the language of the wise?

People who have not touched the outskirts of the capital city, dare dispute about the appearance and glory of the Emperor, who resides in the palace in the heart of the city! That is the pitiable state of scholarship today.

The Maharaja of Burdwan, once held a conference where the excellences of Shiva and Vishnu were considered.

The Panchakshari (five-letter) mantra of Shiva and the Ashtakshari (eight-letter) mantra of Vishnu were expounded by rival Pandits and extolled. The Maharaja wanted the chief priest of his palace, who was a great scholar and sadhaka, to pronounce his judgement.

He said that none of the Pandits had seen Shiva or Vishnu, though they were all prepared to argue on behalf of them.

He declared that anyone who had seen either will be silent about not only what he had seen, but even of what he had not seen.

That declaration put an end to the quarrels and everyone returned home rather shamefaced at their inexperience!

- Divine Discourse, Jan 30, 1965.

To understand the Divine’s nature, man has to develop universality of outlook and cultivate the all-embracing concept of expansive love.

Source: radiosai.org

[behappyalways]

Being filial and sacrificing life? Silent cry of "parenting children"

被孝順犧牲人生? 「親職化小孩」無聲吶喊｜譚伊倫｜FOCUS全球新聞 20230602@tvbsfocus

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7p0whRi8Ix4

[winston]

Why are religious or communal conflicts and divides, meaningless?

There is a man who is addressed as father by his son. The daughter-in-law calls him father-in-law, while the grandchildren call him grandfather. The individual is the same but the manner in which different people address him varies.

Similarly, the same Divine is given different names by the followers of different religions; they hail Him as Allah, Jesus, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and so on.

Though the names vary, He is one and the same. Therefore, there is really no room for dispute between people belonging to different religions.

You may address the Divine by the name of your choice but all calls go to the same destination. Goal is one, and the Divine also is one. Thus, in respect of Him, there should be no difference of opinion.

No matter to whom you offer salutations and greetings, they all go to Him Himself. Since the same Divine resides in all, where is the room for arguments based on caste, creed, race, etc.?

- Divine Discourse, May 21, 2000.

The names are many but the Divine that is worshipped is one.

Source: radiosai.org